Can it be true? Will the Tony Hawk series of skating videogames return to form… by returning to its roots with a high definition remake? Yes, it is true.

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Activision has stamped a release date on the upcoming Tony Hawk: Shred.

Shred is the latest instalment in the publisher’s Tony Hawk series and the next game to make use of the special skateboard peripheral first seen and released with Tony Hawk: Ride.

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The first screenshots from the upcoming Tony Hawk: Shred have been released, featuring in-game moments in time captured for our leisurely perusal.

Shred is the next game from Activision to make use of the special skateboard peripheral first seen and released with Tony Hawk: Ride, and while that game didn’t fair too well in the marketplace or in the reviewer’s score column, developer Robomodo and Tony Hawk himself must feel pretty confident in the sequel if they’re going to bother releasing one at all.

The screenshots show off a bunch of extreme sportspeople indulging in highflying skateboarding antics, as well as one other sport that involves a board, but no wheels… well, you’ll see what I mean:

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Skateboarder extraordinaire Tony Hawk recently ‘announced’ via his Twitter account that the next game in the long-running series of Tony Hawk games would feature the title ‘Tony Hawk: SHRED,’ tweeting:

“Tony Hawk: Shred. There, I said it. Actually, I named it. Somewhere a PR team is reeling”

Very soon after the ‘announcement’ by Hawk himself, the entry was removed, leading to speculation over the true name that would adorn the upcoming, expected follow-up to last year’s not-so-hot Tony Hawk: RIDE.

Today however, a representative from Activision has confirmed the title:

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According to internal memos obtained by LA Times reporter Ben Fritz (and later confirmed by an Activision spokesperson), Activision Blizzard has quietly gone about reorganising its internal structure to effectively divide itself up into four discrete segments, each focussing on its own brand and market.

A single division will focus on Call of Duty (as noted in the recent Infinity Ward scuffle), another will handle owned properties such as Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Tony Hawk, yet another will centre around licensed properties (such as games based on movies, cartoons and comic books), while the fourth division will be the independently run developer, Blizzard Entertainment.

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A new video interview with legendary pro skater Tony Hawk delves a little bit into his past and his obsession with classic, but limited skating games, as well as his enthusiasm for working on a skateboarding videogame of his own, which sparked the creation of an entire genre and a franchise.

Hawk also discusses the evolution of the skating game and what he believes the next direction of the genre to be (hint: Tony Hawk: RIDE), as well as his involvement in making that happen.

Watch this fascinating interview with Tony Hawk below:

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During their earnings call yesterday, Activision Blizzard revealed their intended release line-up for 2009, including new Guitar Hero games, new franchises and new entries to old franchises.

To start, the company intends to release a bevy of Guitar Hero (and just plain Hero) titles this year, including the already announced Guitar Hero: Metallica, a new DS title called Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits, the possibility (and inevitability) of something along the lines of Guitar Hero: World Tour 2, as well as their DJ-inspired title, DJ Hero.

The Blizzard portion of the company has dedicated itself to releasing one ‘frontline’ title per year, although it isn’t yet clear whether 2009’s frontline title from Blizzard will be Starcraft 2, Diablo III or perhaps another World of Warcraft expansion.

As a result of poorer than expected sales for James Bond: Quantum of Solace, the company will be moving the release of the next entry into the James Bond series of games to 2010, to avoid Activision Blizzard’s own titles cannibalizing each other’s sales, as they believed happened with the release of Call of Duty: World at War in a similar timeframe to Quantum of Solace.

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In what is sure to be the most peculiar games news item you’re likely to read today, the new Tony Hawk game coming to the Nintendo DS will make you question whether Activision and developer Creat Studios are finally out of ideas for the franchise.

Dubbed Tony Hawk’s Motion, it comes bundled with an accelerometer that plugs into the DS, allowing you to control Tony by tilting and turning the console. Players will be able to navigate their way through Tokyo, Dubai and Vermont, as well as the Alps… Yep, Tony Hawk takes to the slopes to get some snowboarding in, assisted by reputed pro snowboarder, Todd Richards. It gets more bizarre.

Tony Hawk’s Motion is also bundled with a game called Hue Pixel Painter - also controlled via the accelerometer - in which you will “glide through more than 10 levels as they bring colour to various landscapes while preventing the vicious Drabs from devouring the colour and essence from the world in Hue Pixel Painter.” Really? More screenshots below.

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